The Future of Tortall
by Author 42487
Summary: Starts in the future of Tortall, then goes to the past, and many adventures will follow! Please e/r/r!
1. I’m gonna sue whoever created this video...

The Future of Tortall

By ACK

Rating: PG

Genre: General, Action/Adventure

A/N: I just read a really good book by Susan Cooper, although I forgot the name ^_^;; I got the idea for the story from this, and I hope everyone likes it.

Background: This chapter is set during future Tortall, where everything is now modern. There are computers, cars, etc. here. 

Thinking 

"Speaking,"

//Flashback\\

"See you later, Diana!" A girl with short brown hair put her jacket and gloves on, and waved back to one of her friends. She was exceptionally tall, and had hazel eyes. 

"Bye, Kel!" her friend called back, and got into her mother's car. Kel watched the car drive off down the street before she started walking home.

Kel walked down a snow-covered street, her breath billowing out so she could see it. It had snowed last night, and today had been the last day of finals. Luckily, she had done well on her tests today. _Maybe Mom will let me go see a movie or something with my friends tonight_. 

Walking up the steps of her house, Kel got out her key and unlocked the front door. "I'm home," she called, and walked into the dark house. On the kitchen table there was a note for her.

Kelly-

I'm at your aunt's house right now; I'll be back around ten. Dinner's in the microwave, and your dad is working late.  See you soon!

                                           Love, Mom

           "Well, then, I guess I won't be going to the movies tonight. I guess I'll bring the movies here, then." Kel walked into the kitchen and started the microwave. Then she walked over to the video cupboard, searching for something she might like. 

           _This looks good_, she thought, and pulled out a video with a golden-colored box, decorated to look like a picture frame. Inside of the 'picture frame' was a picture of a castle, much like the ruins up on the hill. There was also a faded picture in front of it, of a deep blue stone. 

           Kel got her dinner from the microwave and grabbed the tape, taking them both upstairs. Once in her room, she popped the tape into the VCR and stretched out on her carpet, waiting for it to start. 

           The movie started out with the picture of the blue stone, which faded into a picture of the castle. In front of the castle were two people, both with black hair. They were both wearing their own crown, and were dressed in medieval-looking clothes. 

           "My name is King Jonathan, and this is Queen Thayet. Soon, you will come here, Kel," the man said, gesturing to himself and the lady beside him.

           _How did they know my name?_ Kel thought, looking warily at the television. She checked her clock, and it read 7:00. When she looked back to the television, there was a new picture. It was a table, with peoples' names and facts about them, plus a picture. _It must be a video game!_ Kel thought, but knew that there were no such things as videotapes with a game on them. She looked closely at each picture, each person dressed in medieval garb. 

           "Alanna the Lioness…Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak…Keladry of Mindelan…" she re-read that name about ten times. "Keladry of Mindelan. She looks just like me, and she stole my name! I'm gonna sue whoever created this video game. Of course, my name is Keladry Mindelan, not _of_ Mindelan, but still! Oh, great, I'm talking to myself."

           The picture on the television changed again, this time into a gray tunnel, twisting and turning. Kel became mesmerized by the tunnel, and reached out to touch the television. _It looks so real_. She kept on reaching for the screen, but couldn't touch it. She felt as if she was the one flying through the tunnel, not watching a television. She saw a point of light, and was quickly expelled out of the tunnel. 

           Kel fell out of the tunnel, and stood up, looking around. _I'm sure not in my room anymore_. She was on a dirt road, and off in the distance she saw a forest. The dirt road was lined with fences, encasing farmland. She saw a gate, with a little dirt path coming from it. Kel followed this path through tall grains, and came upon a small farmhouse quickly. 

           Kel walked up to the door, and knocked. Quietly she waited, and someone answered the door. Kel examined the lady: she had blonde hair pulled back into a braid, and a tan apron covered her rough gray dress. 

           "Yes?" the lady asked, looking warily at the strange girl in even stranger clothes. 

           "Hi, I'm Kel, and I'm also lost. Can you tell me where I am?" Kel asked, smiling politely.

           "You're in between Queenscove and Tasride, Kel. I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you wearing such odd clothes? And why do you not know where you are? Also, where is your horse, because it is a long way to walk from either fief," the lady asked many questions, few that Kel could answer. 

           "I'm wearing these clothes because I just got home from school, and I change after school, and I don't know where I am because I was just watching TV, and I don't have a horse," Kel was clearly confused, and the lady invited her into the house. 

           "Kel, you need to get to a fief as soon as possible. Your memory seems to have been jogged…a TV, whatever that may be, does not exist!" the lady clamored about in the kitchen, and found a cup and filled it with water for Kel to drink. "Oh mercy me! I forgot to tell you my name! I'm Eloise Grapheld."

           "Nice to meet you, Eloise. I was wondering…which fief would I be going to? Queenscove or Tasride?" Kel thought this woman was crazy, not knowing what a TV was. 

           "Queenscove has the best healer in the realm, Duke Baird. He could help you, if you can find him. He'll most likely be at the castle, though, but that's a quick ride from Queenscove. Hmmm, to get to Queenscove…five day's walk, if you walk fast, but two day's with a horse. Perhaps I can find a neighbor who is going there to escort you, yes, that is a good idea," Eloise went babbling on, and Kel just stared at her. 

A/N: Well, that seemed like the place to stop it, for some reason. I'll continue it if everyone likes it! 

Flames will be used to warm up my feet during these cold winter months.


	2. His, eyes, oh, glorious eyes...

The Future of Tortal

Chapter Two

By ACK

Rating: PG

Genre: General, Action/Adventure

A/N: Wow, three reviews. I've gotta start setting goals for myself ^_^ Hmmm… five reviews for this chapter and I'll write another. (I'm so lazy when it comes to writing…sorry y'all!) Thanks are at the end, to my wonderful three reviewers! I love you guys so much! Oh yeah…modern Kel is a senior in high school, making her either just knighted in medieval times or about to be. I'm not sure yet which I want her to be. (But I'd best decide soon, because it'll be crucial in this chapter. Maybe not crucial. But definitely part of the chapter.)

Thinking 

"Speaking"

//Flashback\\

Note: We skip through time a bit, to when Kel starts off to Queenscove, with the neighbor from down the street.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Kel asked, out of the blue. She was following the teenage boy to Queenscove, at the request of Eloise. He was okay looking, but had a distant look to his face. His hair was hidden under a straw hat, but Kel knew that the straw colors of his hair and hat matched. 

"No," Aaron said, slowly but surely. He liked to think about his words before he said them, in case of any slip-ups. Kel liked that point of him, but sometimes he took too long. 

"Good. 'Cause I'm not," she replied, and went back to gazing at the forest. They were half an hour's ride away from Queenscove, and she couldn't wait until they got there. Wait, yes she could wait. She was going to be examined, head to toe, and diagnosed 'crazy' by some 'healer.' What fun this was going to be. Maybe there were cute guys at Queenscove. _I'm not that lucky_ she thought.

_Yes you are_ the gods thought together, coming into one sort of melodious voice with no gender. She was sent here on a mission, this Kel girl. She had a purpose, and meaning for being here. 

Kel stiffly got off of the borrowed horse, and thanked Aaron for taking her to Queenscove. He blushed a bit and said it was nothing, and then rode on to wherever he was going. Kel pulled at the hem of her shirt, and walked up to the gates. _Here goes nothing._

"Hello, sir. I'm Kel, here to see—" The guard gave her a funny look.

"Yes, yes, I know you're Kel, and you're here to see Master Nealan," he let her in, leaving Kel puzzled as to who this 'Nealan' person was. "He's in the courtyard, probably reading." The guard gave her a nudge in the direction of the courtyard, and she thanked him. 

"Hello, Nealan," Kel said, walking to the only person in the courtyard. He had floppy brown hair that was messily combed, and he kept pushing it out of his eyes. His, eyes, oh, glorious eyes, shone bright emerald, focusing on his book. 

"My name's not Nealan. Well, technically, it is, but you know to call me Neal, Kel," Neal hadn't even looked up from his book; he knew it was _her_. "My least favorite aunt calls me Nealan. And she pinches my cheek."

"Er, how'd you know my name?" Kel looked very apprehensive, and for the first time Neal looked up.

"By the gods, Kel, what the chaos are you wearing?" he blushed and turned away. 

"Uh, it's called a t-shirt, Nealan—Neal," she looked down at her t-shirt. It was neither tight nor showed any stomach, although her arms were bare. 

"You aren't Kel," he said incredulously, examining her once again. Kel blushed, and crossed her arms.

"I was wondering if you could help me, not stare at me," she went through the story of how she got here, Neal not talking the whole time. "And that's how I'm here."

"Mithros," Neal whispered. "Time travel. Future. Tell me again, about the future."

"Neal! This is no time to be asking me questions! Later! Help me figure out how I got here, please!" Kel was tired, grumpy, hungry, and wanted to just fall over right there and go to sleep. _Not a bad idea_.

Neal looked in amazement as he saw Kel topple over, falling into a deep sleep. _I'd better get father. He'll know what to do._

A/N: Uh, short, yes, but at least this was semi-easy to write, not like my Circle story. That was getting hard. It went bye-bye. Special thanks to: **Bookworm** yes, I know I made you review because you're my cousin, but thanks anyways! **Hshuler888** you've been a really nice person throughout my writings. Thanks for the constant reviews! **Liara of Queenscove** I will continue as soon as possible! I'll try to make it Kel/Neal, but I can't too much. There's a little twist, but you'll see. Kel is supposed to be about 18 in this ^_^ 


	3. Gone! Poof! Bye-bye! See ya later! Not t...

The Future of Tortall

Chapter Three

By ACK

Rating: PG

Genre: General, Action/Adventure

A/N: I have been forgetting my disclaimers, but do you _really_ think I own those characters? If you do, join my club, but if you don't, you're at least partially sane.   

Thinking 

"Speaking"

//Flashback\\

Kel blinked at the sunny brightness coming from the electrical light. _Wait…I thought I was in the past? There shouldn't be electricity!_

A nurse hurried into the hospital ward, looking carefully at Kel. "Deary, I'm glad you've woken up! You've been burning up with fever for two days, ever since your parents brought you here!"

Kel looked at the woman oddly. "Where's Duke Baird? I need to see him."

The woman's face fell. _She must be delirious with pain_. She quickly bustled about and gave Kel some pills, "Now, take these and get some rest. We want you to feel better."

Kel fell asleep, and the nurse walked out of the room to call Kel's parents.

"Hello, is Mister or Misses Mindelan there?" she asked politely.

"Yes, this is Mrs. Mindelan," Kel's mother replied. "Is Keladry okay? Is she feeling better?"

"Keladry's doing fine. She just woke up, but she is feeling a bit…out of sorts. We'll have her up and energetic again in no time," the nurse was lying, of course. _This Keladry girl isn't just sick with pneumonia or the flu. She has a sickness we cannot cure._

"Well, thank you for calling. Tell her mother and father send their love."

"You're welcome, good bye." The nurse hung up the phone. Surely the girl was going to get better, but her sickness was so odd, and no one knew how to cure it. 

As soon as Kel went to sleep, she woke up again. This time, there was no artificial light or disinfectant smell to the air, but sunlight and a slightly dusty smell. She opened her eyes to see a man in his fifties or so, watching her. 

"Glad you're up, Kel," he said to her. "I'm Duke Baird. Neal told me all about what happened to you, and I think I can help. First, though, we must get you back to the Palace at Corus, so you can meet the other Kel and arrange something with her."

Kel nodded, taking this all in. _The other Kel must be Keladry of Mindelan, that girl who looked like me on the video screen._ "Okay, sir."

"There's some food on the table, water in the wash basin, and a tunic with some breeches for you to change in to. Come out when you're done," Duke Baird gestured to all these things in turn, and then left the room.

King Jonathan rubbed his temples, trying to understand what Raoul was saying to him. "So you're saying you think Keladry of Mindelan was kidnapped?"

"Yes, Jon! One second she was laying down in her tent, resting up because she wasn't feeling well, and then next thing I know, POOF! She's gone!" Raoul was gesturing all around with his hands, eyes wide. "Gone! Poof! Bye-bye! See ya later! Not there!"

"Calm down, Raoul! I've got the idea! She's gone," Jonathan pondered this, and finally made a decision. "Well, then, we'll just have to—"

A messenger burst into the room, breathing heavily. "Begging your pardon, Majesty, Sir Raoul," he said, bowing, "but Duke Baird has sent for you, and is wishing to see you as soon as possible. He said it was very urgent." 

"Sir Raoul," Jon said, taking up the formalities in front of the messenger, "we will talk later." Jon got up and followed the messenger to where Duke Baird was.

Keladry sat nervously on a chair, hands neatly clasped and sitting up straight. She was going to meet a king! Duke Baird was sitting to her right, while Neal was sitting to her left. 

"King Jonathan VI, King of Tortal!" the herald called, opening the doors to the small audience chamber. A handsome man walked in, and Kel, Duke Baird, and Neal stood up. Neal and Duke Baird bowed, while Kel clumsily curtseyed. From her quick glimpse of him, she saw his piercing blue eyes and dark hair, but she had to curtsey and couldn't see more. 

Kel has never curtseyed before… 

A/N: Yes, I know, short, stupid, kinda odd, but I had to write the hospital part in there. It's all part of the master plan…Thanks to: **Jack Snape** Hey Jackie, what's uP? Thanks for reviewing, glad you like it! **Hshuler888** Thanks for reviewing, glad you like it ^_^ Don't worry, it's not going to be TOTAL K/N, but it'll definitely have a little. Maybe. Perhaps. Maybe not. I don't know yet. __


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